Blood flows through the tubes called as blood vessels. There are two networks of blood vessels – the arteries and the veins. The arteries carry pure or oxygenated blood from the heart to the various parts of the body. The veins, on the other hand, collect impure blood from all over the body and reach it to the heart. Blood flow in the veins is controlled via valves, which ensure blood does not flow in the reverse direction (against its desired direction of flow). The veins in the legs, which are farther from the heart, are quite thick and exert extra pressure to pump blood into the heart. They need to transport blood against gravity and so in people who are prone to stand for long hours, they can become thicker, swollen, twisted, and engorged. In severe cases, there could even lead to bleeding.
Some common causes for varicose veins are:
Risk factors: Though these are the suspected causes, there are specific risk factors which aggravate the condition of varicose veins.
There are quite a few symptoms of varicose veins. These are quite distinct and present as:
While varicose veins are easy to diagnose given their distinct clinical presentation, some additional testing can involve the following:
As said, prevention is better than cure; here are some preventive measures that can be really helpful:
Starting from the least invasive to the most, this condition can be treated by:
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!